Generator regulator



April 10, 1934- H. s. DE MALAUSSENE GENERATOR REGULATOR Filed April 6, 1952 SSHEdk/V Patented Apr; 1o, 1934 GENERATOR REGULATOR Henri S. de Malaussene, Santa. Monica, Calif., as-

signor to Adolph L. Bernheimer, Santa Monica,

Calif.

AApplication April 6, 1932, Serial No. 603,612

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to a regulator and more specifically to a regulator which is adapted to regulate the output or charging current of a motor vehicle generator.

When the engine of the motor vehicle is idling at a speed below ten miles per hour, which occurs when driving through tramo, or due to stop and go signals, the output of the generator which is driven by the motor of the motor vehicle is below the normal charging rate of the battery and as a result the battery does not receive its normal charge and the life thereof is shortened.

This is especially true now that the majority of motor vehicles'are equipped with free wheeling and it is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a regulating device which is actuated by the foot throttle control to bring the generator output up to a maximum normal charging rate While running at slow speeds.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a regulating device which may be readily installed in any make or type or" motor vehicle.

The invention contemplates the provision of a I variable resistance in series with the shunt field of the generator and the iield regulating brush and an electrical contact connected in shunt with 'the variable resistance and actuated by the foot throttle control of the motor vehicle for automatically closing the electrical contact when lthe motor vehicle is running at a slow speed and upon pressing the foot throttle control to open the contacts to permit the field current to pass through the resistance and thereby maintain the output charging current of the generator substantially constant.

In the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this application and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Figure 1 is an electrical diagram of connections illustrating the manner in which the variable resistance is connected in the shunt field and in which the electrical contact is connected to the foot throttle of a motor vehicle,

Figure 2 is a curve in which the ampere output is plotted against the miles per hour of the ordinary generator now in use, v Figure 3 is a curve in which the ampere output is plotted against the miles per hour of the present invention,

In the drawing, wherein for lthe purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral 2 represents diagrammatically, the armature of a usual battery charging generator which is driven by the engine of Cil (Cl. ZBO- 7) the motor vehicle. The output brushes 4 and 6 are connected by conductors 8 and lil to the usual battery 12 of the motor vehicle.

The eld 14 has one terminal connected to the brush 4 through the conductor 8 and the other terminal is connected through conductor 36, lto a variable resistance 16 which is connected through conductor 18 to the eld regulating brush 20. Connected in shunt with the variable resistance 16 is a make and break switch, which consists of an Lshaped switch 22 mounted on a support 24 and provided at one end thereof with a contact 26 which is normally associated with a stationary contact 28 mounted on a support 30. The contact arm 22 is connected by means of conductors 32 to one terminal of the variable re-` sistance 1G and the stationary contact 28 is connected through the support 3) and theconductor 34 to the movable arm 36 of the resistance 16, thereby connecting the Contact arm 22 and its associated stationary contact 28 in shunt with the variable resistance 16.

The contact arm 22 is provided with an aper-Y ture through which there is arranged a rod 36 which is securely held in positiontherein by means of a screw threaded nut 38. The rod 36 passes through an L-shaped guide member l0 and interposed between the stop member l2 on the rod 36 and the L-shaped guide member 40 is a spring 44 which urges the contact arm 22 out of its normally electrically closed position.

The outer end of the rod 36 is provided with a ring which engages a ring on a rod le which is connected to the foot throttle 48 of the motor vehicle. As is clearly indicated, the foot throttle is normally maintained in the idling position by means of the spring 50 secured to the lover portion thereof through the aperture 52. r'he foot throttle is pivotally mounted on a suppoA ting rod 54 and in the normal idling position of the throttle the contact 26 of the contact arm 22 engages its associated contact 28 thereby shunting out the variable resistance 16.

In installing the device it is only necessary to set the eld regulating brush 2O to the `ull output of the generator which is about 20 amperes on all standard cars, then adjust the resistance 16 until the ammeter on the dash reads about l5 amperes which is a safe charging rate when the switch is open and the engine of the motor vehicle is running at high speed. When the engine of the motor vehicle is idling or running at slow speed, too slow to supply the battery with its normal charging current, the spring 5,0 urges the -foot throttle 48 to its outer position, which is indicated in dotted lines. and thereby moves the electrical contact arm 22 until its contact 26 engages the static contact 28, shorting out the resistancel and thus permitting more current to ilow through the iield le, which., in turn, bring the generators output up toa maxil mum output or charging rate, although -..f-wf4 at slow speeds.

Figure 2 is a curve illustrating the output charging current of the ordinary generator which is not equipped with the present regulating means. As is clearly illustrated in this curve, when the motor vehicle is running at slow speeds and consequently driving the generator vat a slow speed, say for example, l0 miles per hour, there is not output current andthe generator does not provide a sumcient output charging current to the batteryvuntil-the motor vehicle has reached a speed of substantially 25 to 30 miles per hour.

In Figure 3 there is shown a curve in which the ampere output current is plotted against the milesper hour of the vehicle which 'drives the generator. It will be seen `i'rom this curve that the normal output charging current oi' 15 amperes is reached 'at the usual idling' speed of lo miles per hour and from a speed of 10 to 35 miles per hour, the outputh'of 15 vamperes is substantially constant.

The variable rence ld enables the output of the generator to be set substantially at any output value.' if so desired, the control mechanism controlling the actuation of the electrical switch for shorting out the variable resistance may be included within the generator, the same being built as a single unit. l v

It will be readily appreciated that the device may be installed on any standard make of car employing thethree brush generator and that it will not only supply the battery with a constant charging current, but will also prevent the generator from burning out.

While there is shown only one embodiment of the invention in the accompanying drawing, it

is capable oivarious changes `and modications nesasea 1. n1 combination with a uurs man motor vehicle generator having a third lbrush adjustment, adapted to charge the battery of the motor vehicle, a variable resistance in the field circuit of said generator whereby the third brush may be positioned at the maximum output position and the iield current adjusted by varying the variable resistance to select a constant output current, a make-and-break switch connected in shunt with said resistance, a throttle mecha- 1|: s t fork controlling the speed of the engine of the motor vehicle, and means connecting .the

'throttle mechanism of the motor vehicle and the makeand-break switch'for opening said switch upon. the actuation of said throttle mechanism, whereby said constant output current is maintained over a broad range oi speeds of the motor vehicle. y i l 2. in combination with a third brush motor vehicle generator having a predetermined third brush adjustment adapted to charge the battery of a motor vehicle, a resistance in the eld circuit of said generator, the third brush being positioned at its maximum outputposition, a make-and-break switch connected in shunt with said resistance, a throttle mechanism for controlling the speed of the engine of the motor vehicle, and means connnecting the 'throttle mechanism of the motor vehicle and the makeand-break switch for opening said switch upon the actuation of said throttle mechanism, said resistance being of a value to give the desired third brush regulation when the resistance is effective and to provide for a constant output current whereby'said constant output current is maintained over a broad range of speeds of the motor vehicle.

HENRI S. nn MALAUSSENE. 

